OHSU Ranks Among Nation’s ‘Best Hospitals’

Health Care

Oregon Health & Science University Hospital is the only hospital in Oregon to be ranked in U.S. News & World Report’s 2010-11 “Best Hospitals.” Just 152 hospitals out of the 4,852 evaluated performed well enough to rank in even one specialty.

OHSU Hospital ranks 34th in the category of “Ear, Nose & Throat,” and it ranks 35th in “Diabetes & Endocrinology,” up six places from last year.

U.S. News says it judges “Best Hospitals” based on their “competence in complex, demanding situations, often with high-risk patients.” Each hospital receives a score from 0 to 100. Scores are primarily based on reputation, death rates, patient safety and quality-related data such as patient volumes and nursing care. The top 50 hospitals are ranked in 16 specialties based on their overall score.

To determine a hospital’s reputation score, U.S. News randomly selects 200 physicians nationwide and asks them to list five hospitals they consider to be the best in their specialty for complex or difficult cases. A hospital’s death rates are measured based on a ratio that compares the number of Medicare inpatient deaths within 30 days of admission with the number that would have been expected after taking age, severity of illness and other risk factors into consideration.

Hospital patient safety scores reflect how well a hospital minimizes harm, including protecting patients from accidents and medical errors such as postoperative hip fractures, incisions that reopen after surgery and deaths when the risk is low. Other quality related data considered in the final tally include patient-nurse ratios, a mix of technologies considered important to quality of care, and various other patient care quality indicators.

In addition to these adult specialty rankings, last month, U.S. News released its "Best Children's Hospitals" rankings and OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital's comprehensive pediatric oncology program ranked 28th out of 200 children's cancer programs nationwide.

The 2010-11 U.S. News “Best Hospitals” rankings are produced by RTI International. The rankings will published online Thursday, July 15, and will be available in print Tuesday, July 27.

To learn more about OHSU’s nationally ranked specialties visit:
•    OHSU Division of Endocrinology, Clinical Care and Diabetes
•    OHSU Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery
•    OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Division of Pediatric Oncology

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About Oregon Health & Science University

Oregon Health & Science University is the state's only health and research university and Oregon's only academic health center. OHSU is Portland's largest employer and the fourth largest in Oregon (excluding government). OHSU's size contributes to its ability to provide many services and community support activities not found anywhere else in the state. It serves patients from every corner of the state, and is a conduit for learning for more than 3,400 students and trainees. OHSU is the source of more than 200 community outreach programs that bring health and education services to every county in the state.


Tamara Hargens-Bradley
Senior Director, Strategic Communications
OHSU
503-494-8231